1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of hanging implements in general. In particular, the present invention relates specifically to hooks.
2. Description of the Known Art
Hanging items are commonplace in residences and businesses. However, many of the hooks used to hang the items are static, which can result in the hanging item having an undesirable position or orientation. Previous swivel devices for suspending objects, although inexpensive, have been esthetically unattractive and did not permit ready adjustment of the angular orientation of pendant objects. Moreover, they could not be removed without leaving unsightly marks. Attempts have been made to provide an adjustable hook, but many of these hooks require permanent attachment to the surroundings or provide large, complicated housings which detract from the hanging item. Thus, there is a need to provide an adjustable hook that can be used for hanging items.
Details of adjustable hooks and hanging implements are contained in U.S. Pat. No. 718,753 issued to Foss on Jan. 20, 1903; U.S. Pat. No. 859,660 issued to Hill on Jul. 9, 1907; U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,620 issued to Gower on Mar. 26, 1968; U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,118 issued to Pelavin on Sep. 23, 1975; U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,843 issued to Wengel on Feb. 1, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,742 issued to Rocquin on May 31, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,192 issued to Vom Braucke, et al. on Nov. 14, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,785 issued to Blaich on Dec. 19, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,244 issued to Rodwell on Jul. 19, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,304 issued to Tambornino on Sep. 9, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,440 issued to Deutsch on May 15, 2001; U.S. Design Pat. No. D444,052 issued to Catlett on Jun. 26, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,189 issued to Hsiang on Apr. 1, 2003; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,814 issued to Kovacik, et al. on Aug. 5, 2003. Each of these patents is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 718,753 issued to Foss on Jan. 20, 1903 entitled Painter's Hook teaches a painter's hook for hanging a paint bucket while painting.
U.S. Pat. No. 859,660 issued to Hill on Jul. 9, 1907 entitled Double-Ended or S-Hook teaches a hook with both loops able to permit engagement or disengagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,620 issued to Gower on Mar. 26, 1968 entitled S-shaped Connector Device teaches a connector device making a connection between the ends of two lengths of chain.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,118 issued to Pelavin on Sep. 23, 1975 entitled Universal Hanger teaches a hanger for suspending garments, luggage and the like from any shape support which includes a mounting bracket supportable on any shape support and means connected thereto for releasably suspending a garment, luggage and the like therefrom. The mounting bracket comprises a substantially linear chord and a pair of downwardly turned lugs which depend therefrom. The lugs respectively depend from opposed ends of the chord at substantially oblique joints relative thereto. One of said lugs is foreshortened relative to the other. A thrust bearing is journalled into each lug and includes a bearing pad engageable with the surface of the support. Connected to the longer of the pair of lugs is a cantilevered arm at an obtuse angle with the lug from which it depends. The free end of the cantilevered arm is provided with means for pivotably, rotatably and slidably mounting a suspension means therefrom. One end of the suspension means is fixedly connected to the means provided in the cantilevered arm, and the other end thereof is provided with an S hook removably connected at one end to the suspension means and adapted at its other end to receive a garment bag, luggage, garment, or series of garments draped on conventional hangers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,843 issued to Wengel on Feb. 1, 1977 entitled Hanging Display Rotator teaches a rotator for a hanging display such as a mobile, hanging plant or the like having a self-contained power supply. The apparatus comprises a cylinder for containing flashlight batteries adjacent one another and for containing motor means to drive a geared shaft by which a display is suspended and rotated. Off-on operation and series battery interconnection are effected by the positioning of a rotatable, electrically conductive circular top plate confronting the ends of the batteries. An opening in the rotatable plate is provided for replacement of the batteries. A tab on the top plate permits the plate to be rotated and to be suspended.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,087 issued to Gaines on Nov. 13, 1979 entitled Swivel Suspension Set teaches an overhead swivel suspension set that consists of a mount and a support, i.e. a grab. The set when assembled is used to hang an object, e.g. a floral display or an electric light fixture, from a ceiling or the like. The mount includes a base adapted to be secured to a ceiling, and a horizontal ring held below the base by pendant legs. The base, the legs and the ring are die cast as a single piece. The opening through the ring constitutes a vertical bearing. The upper surface of the ring serves as a horizontal step bearing. The ring is gapped over an arc of considerably less than 180.degree. to provide a radial slot. The support comprises a journal with a grab, e.g. a hook, at its lower end, and an enlarged head at its upper end. The journal, the grab and the head are die cast as a single piece. The journal is rotatable in the opening through the ring so that it can turn about a vertical axis in the mount. The diameter of the journal is greater than the width of the gap. The head rests on the upper surface of the ring. The grab is below the ring. The top of the grab has one transverse dimension narrower than the gap. To connect the support with the mount said narrower dimension of the upper end of the grab is slid through the gap until the journal is centered over the bore, then the journal is dropped into the bore until the head rests on the ring. This locks the support to the ring because the journal is larger than the gap. Such arrangement enables the swivel set to be of a very low height, this including the conjoint heights of the grab, the base, the ring, the journal and the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,742 issued to Rocquin on May 31, 1983 entitled Hanging Planter Apparatus teaches a support for suspending a flower pot from an overhead structure. In one embodiment the device comprises an annulus for engagement with the lower surface of a shoulder on the pot, the annulus having lateral projections for engagement with suspending hooks. In another embodiment the device comprises an annulus for engagement with the lower surface of an annulus lip on a plastic flower pot, the annulus having a plurality of projections extending upwardly through slots in the lip for engagement with suspending hooks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,192 issued to Vom Braucke, et al. on Nov. 14, 1989 entitled Handled Tool Suspension Device teaches a device for suspending handled tools such as brooms, spades and rakes having hook means and mounting means for said hood means, said mounting means defining a pivot axis for said hook means, said pivot axis extending substantially horizontally, said hook means having a front elevation which is substantially S-shaped and comprising a mounting shaft portion located in said mounting means so as to be pivotable about said horizontal axis, a linear portion extending substantially at right angles to said mounting shaft portion in a generally downward direction, a further portion extending in a substantially horizontal plane from said linear portion, said further portion being substantially C-shaped or S-shaped in plan view, and a hook portion extending from said further portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,785 issued to Blaich on Dec. 19, 1989 entitled Hanger hook teaches a hanger hook is of modified S shape and all parts of the hanging hook lie substantially in the same plane. The hook has utility particularly but not exclusively in hanging a birdfeeder from a substantially horizontal tree branch and the like. The hook has a lower open loop providing a bite for receiving thereover the circular portion of a birdfeeder or plant hanger. The hanger also has an upper open loop for receiving the branch. The hook resists efforts of squirrels, raccoons, or the like but not people to disassemble the hanger from the hook and to disassemble the hook from the branch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,244 issued to Rodwell on Jul. 19, 1994 entitled Advertising Base and Clothes Hanger Carrier teaches an advertising base, handle and hanger receiver. The advertising base has a communications area wherein advertising media may be imprinted. The base has a conveniently contoured hand hold cut out so that the base may be comfortably carried in one hand, while a plurality of clothing bearing hangers is supported from the advertising base. The base also includes a hanger hook so that the base may be hung on the clothes hanger hook in an automobile or on a clothing support rod in a closet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,304 issued to Tambornino on Sep. 9, 1997 entitled S-Hook with Safety Latch teaches a safety latched hook with a hook link, a latch and a spring biasing the latch to a closed position. The hook link has a bend in a closed side opposite a latch end. The a chain attachment opening, defined as the distance from the latch end to the closed side, is at least as wide as the thickness of the material for the hook link. The hook can receive a chain of the same thickness material within the chain turn of the hook link, and does not require any further attachment mechanism to attach to a chain.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,440 issued to Deutsch on May 15, 2001 entitled Rotating Display Device teaches a rotatable display device that is suspendable from a ceiling and allows a planter to be rotatably suspendable therefrom. The device includes a lower housing. An upper housing is replaceably attached to the lower housing. A top hanger assembly extends upwardly from the upper housing and suspends the rotatable display device from the ceiling while providing a means for grabbing the upper housing when the upper housing is to be removed from the lower housing. A rotatable plate is contained in, and rotatable relative to, one of the lower housing and the upper housing. A bearing assembly rotatably connects the rotatable plate to the other of the one of the lower housing and the upper housing. A driven gear is fixedly attached to, for rotation with, the rotatable plate. A bottom hanger assembly extends downwardly from, and rotates with, one of the rotatable plate and the driven gear for rotatably suspending the planter therefrom. A motor is contained in the other of the one of the lower housing and the upper housing for rotating the rotatable plate. A motor shaft extends from the motor. A driver gear is fixedly attached to the motor shaft for rotation therewith and is contained in the lower housing, and is rotatably operatively connected to, the driven gear.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,189, issued to Hsiang on Apr. 1, 2003 entitled Rotatable Hanger teaches a rotatable hanger adapted for suspendedly hanging on a building structure, the hanger including a hanging means and a supporting means rotatably affixed to the hanging means, wherein the supporting means includes a top plate connected to the hanging means, a base plate for supporting an ornamental object thereon, and at least two adjustable belts connecting the top plate to the base plate, in such a manner the ornamental object is adapted to be rotatably supported on the supporting means for selectively showing a lateral view of the ornamental object.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,814 issued to Kovacik, et al. on Aug. 5, 2003 entitled Rotatable Hook Mount for Utility Light teaches a rotatable hook mount apparatus for suspending a utility light which includes a first locking member attached to a light guard of the utility light and a second locking member attached to a shaft portion of a hook. The shaft portion is rotatably received in a bore formed in the first locking member. Adjacent faces of the locking members have cooperating teeth for preventing relative rotation. A spring biases the teeth into engagement and the second locking member with the attached hook can be moved against the spring bias to disengage the teeth for rotation of the hook relative to the light guard.
These prior art patents are very limited in their teaching and utilization, and an improved adjustable hook is needed to overcome these limitations.